The 2021-22 college basketball season is almost over. The Final Four is days away, and soon we will crown an NCAA Tournament champion.

But before anyone cuts down the nets in Minneapolis, there are individual awards to hand out. Here are my picks for the top players and coach in college basketball this season:

Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

A few weeks ago, I broke down the cases for Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston in the Player of the Year race. I settled on Boston as my POY, and that hasn’t changed. I won’t rehash the entire argument, but I will say this: If you aren’t sure why Boston should win the award, turn on a replay of South Carolina’s Elite Eight win over North Carolina and settle into your spot on the couch. Her performance in that game tells you everything you need to know.

Boston’s 28-point and 22-rebound performance epitomizes exactly what she has brought to the court all season. The junior’s ability to block and alter shots, and altogether change the way South Carolina’s opponents play by making them avoid the paint, make her the clear choice for this award.

Boston is Battling 💪

9 PTS | 9 REB already 🤯#MarchMadness x @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/NeWNaeeQ6m

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 25, 2022

Defensive Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

A big part of Boston’s POY campaign has been her defense, so my gut was telling me all season that she should win Defensive Player of the Year as well. Stanford’s Cameron Brink is also a solid contender, so here is a statistical breakdown of the two.

Per Her Hoop Stats, Boston averages 11.7 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes compared to Brink’s 10, and 1.8 steals to Brink’s 1.6. The Stanford sophomore ranks better in blocked shots, with 4.8 per 40 minutes, compared to Boston’s 3.5, but the category that truly tips this race in Boston’s favor is fouls. She averages just two fouls in 40 minutes of action, while Brink averages 5.1. In order to make a defensive impact, you have to stay on the floor, and South Carolina’s star is able to do that.

Coach of the Year

Wes Moore, NC State

In his ninth season as NC State head coach, Wes Moore put together his best performance. The Wolfpack recorded their best record during his tenure (32-4) and won the ACC regular season in 32 years. And after three straight Sweet 16s, Moore — who was named ACC Coach of the Year — led his team to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history. The first came in 1998. NC State was consistent all season, losing just four games and finishing the year on a 13-game win streak that ended with a thrilling double-overtime loss to UConn on Monday.

Freshman of the Year

Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame

Every play for Notre Dame can be traced back to freshman point guard Olivia Miles. Her passing, decision-making and ability to dictate the flow of a game are all reasons why she’s my Freshman of the Year. Miles averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game, the latter of which ranks second in the country behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. She also led Notre Dame to the Sweet 16, the program’s first under second-year coach Niele Ivey.

HOW?!? 😱@oliviamiles06 | #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/M4Ba383Onc

— Notre Dame WBB (@ndwbb) March 26, 2022

All-American First Team

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks

Based on my previous choice for POY and DPOY, Boston heading up the All-American team doesn’t need any more of an explanation.

Caitlin Clark, Sophomore, G, Iowa

27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists

Clark led the country in both assists and points per game this year, and her scoring prowess is unmatched. She can shoot logo 3-pointers, finish off balance at the rim and score in the mid range.

Haley Jones, Junior, G, Stanford

12.9 points, 3.7 assists, 7.8 rebounds

Jones has been the anchor for a Stanford team that is playing in the Final Four for the second year in a row. She does a little bit of everything for the Cardinal, while also posing a serious mismatch for opponents thanks to her versatility as a scorer.

Great pass Haley Jones ( @haleyjoness19 ) to Anna Wilson ( @a_willy03 )!!!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/lDu4FlC90q

— Antonio Garcia (@Iruk_WomenSport) March 28, 2022

Rhyne Howard, Senior, G, Kentucky

20.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists

Throughout the season, Howard showcased her basketball IQ and offensive skill while leading Kentucky in scoring. The senior creates her own shot better than almost anyone else in the country.

NaLyssa Smith, Senior, F, Baylor

22.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks

Smith led Baylor offensively with her ability to face up and create from the free-throw line. The Bears played through Smith and counted on her to rebound and score in every contest.

All-American Second Team

Elissa Cunane, Senior, C, NC State
Cameron Brink, Sophomore, F, Stanford
Ashley Joens, Senior, G/F, Iowa State
Maddy Siegrist, Junior, F, Villanova
Ayoka Lee, Senior, C, Kansas State

All-American Third Team

Aneesah Morrow, Freshman, F, DePaul
Kierstan Bell, Junior, G, Florida Gulf Coast
Khayla Pointer, Grad Student, G, LSU
Angel Reese, Sophomore, F/G, Maryland
Elizabeth Kitley, Senior, C, Virginia Tech

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

USA Hockey is sending a refreshed lineup to Italy this winter, with Friday's 23-player Olympic roster tapping both newcomers and seasoned veterans looking to avenge 2022's silver-medal finish.

US hockey legend Hilary Knight will play in her fifth — and final — Winter Games next month, with the 36-year-old forward joining fellow veteran mainstays Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein as just 11 players return from the team's Beijing campaign.

After falling just short of gold in Beijing, this year's USA hockey roster balances youth with experience, heading to Milan with a full dozen Olympic debutants, including seven college players — a full four from reigning NCAA champion Wisconsin.

All other 16 athletes currently compete in the PWHL with the pro league sending players from five of its eight teams to join the US squad in February.

The rest of the team focuses on young talent, including University of Wisconsin defender Laila Edwards, who will make history as USA Hockey's first-ever Black woman Olympian when she steps on the ice in Italy.

"It still hasn't really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true," said Edwards.

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How to watch Team USA hockey in the 2026 Winter Olympics

The USA will open their 2026 Olympic campaign against Czechia at 10:40 AM ET on February 5th before subsequent Group A games against Finland, Switzerland, and defending champions Canada.

The clash will air live on USA Network as part of the full 2026 Olympic Games coverage across NBC platforms.

USA Hockey's 2026 Olympic roster

Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet), Ava McNaughton (University of Wisconsin), Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge)

Defenders: Cayla Barnes (Seattle Torrent), Laila Edwards (University of Wisconsin), Rory Guilday (Ottawa Charge), Caroline Harvey (University of Wisconsin), Megan Keller (Boston Fleet), Lee Stecklein (Minnesota Frost), Haley Winn (Boston Fleet)

Forwards: Hannah Bilka (Seattle Torrent), Alex Carpenter (Seattle Torrent), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost), Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost), Joy Dunne (Ohio State University), Taylor Heise (Minnesota Frost), Tessa Janecke (Penn State University), Hilary Knight (Seattle Torrent), Abbey Murphy (University of Minnesota), Kelly Pannek (Minnesota Frost), Hayley Scamurra (Montréal Victoire), Kirsten Simms (University of Wisconsin), Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota Frost)

Tennis's biggest names have hit highs and lows down under over the weekend, with stars like Coco Gauff seeing mixed results at the 2026 United Cup as the annual Australian Open team tune-up tournament heads into its knockout rounds.

World No. 4 Coco Gauff and the reigning champion Team USA are through to the quarterfinals, joined by top WTA competitor and No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Team Switzerland.

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Czechia, and Greece also punched their tickets to the knockouts, with Tuesday night's final group-stage bout deciding whether No. 2 Iga Świątek and Team Poland or Team Germany will claim the final spot in the quarterfinals.

Thus far in the team competition, however, Gauff has experienced a particularly up-and-down tournament, suffering her first-ever United Cup singles defeat on Monday against No. 42 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain after causing a stir with her postmatch comments.

"I feel like we're definitely, in tennis, the worst," she told reporters before the singles showdown. "I've always said I wish our country in other places would show up throughout the world as we see smaller countries support."

After taking some heat, the 21-year-old later clarified her position on social media, writing "Trust me I understand the financial aspect of things and know tennis is not accessible for everyone, it was more of a comment for those who are already attending and how I wish they were as passionate as those from other countries."

How to watch Gauff and Team USA at the 2026 United Cup

Gauff will look to return to form against No. 51 Maria Sakkari when Team USA kicks off the 2026 United Cup quarterfinals against Team Greece at 9 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on the Tennis Channel.

Unrivaled leadership is back in the hot seat, telling reporters at Monday's Season 2 tip-off that the offseason 3x3 league is open to whatever the future might bring — even if it's a formal partnership with the WNBA.

"We're not in constant dialogue about that," Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said from Miami. "But as I've made very clear, we are open to growing the ecosystem, whichever way that looks like."

"Nothing is on the table or off the table," he continued. "I'm not going to speculate what could happen down the road, but everyone knows our door is always open."

As reported prior to the 3×3 upstart's inaugural 2025 season, Unrivaled co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier had approached the WNBA about a potential equity stake — in part to further illustrate that the new venture is complementary, rather than in competition with, the WNBA — but league leadership turning down the offer, citing a possible rules violation.

Questions have since come up about Unrivaled becoming a prioritization issue for players under the WNBA's still-developing CBA, but Bazzell underlined the league's benefits as being supplemental, rather than in direct conflict with the 5x5 league.

"As long as you can look at the space through an innovative lens, anything is doable," he said. "Anything is possible."

In the first AP women's basketball poll in two weeks, Monday's new rankings reflected last week's conference upsets, sending four Top 10 teams skidding down the table while other contenders broke through.

Now-No. 12 LSU suffered the biggest drop, falling seven spots after consecutive losses to No. 6 Kentucky and No. 7 Vanderbilt.

The Wildcats and the still-undefeated Commodores experienced the opposite effect, jumping five spots each after their ranked victories, with No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 10 Louisville making similar three-spot advances.

The biggest winner of this week's AP poll, however, sits just outside the Top 10, as No. 15 Michigan State leapt nine spots, defeating unranked Indiana, Illinois, and Rutgers after closing out nonconference play with a 66-49 upset win over now-No. 18 Ole Miss.

Chasing the Spartans' rise up the ranks are No. 16 Baylor, who earned a six-spot jump after handing No. 11 Iowa State their first loss of the season on Sunday, and No. 17 Texas Tech, whose unbeaten status saw the Red Raiders claim a four-spot boost.

Meanwhile, a struggling Notre Dame dropped out of the Top 25 entirely after losses to unranked Georgia Tech and Duke, snapping an 85-week AP Poll appearance streak — the third-longest in women's basketball history.

Additionally, the Top 4 remained unchanged after perfect results from No. 1 UConn, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 South Carolina, and No. 4 UCLA — who dominated their crosstown rival No. 21 USC 80-46 on Saturday.

How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week

Top 25 teams will continue their conference slates this week, starting with USC taking on unranked Oregon on Tuesday.

The Trojans and visiting Ducks will tip off live at 10 PM ET on Fox Sports.

2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 9

1. UConn (15-0, Big East)
2. Texas (17-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (15-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (14-1, Big Ten)
5. Oklahoma (14-1, SEC)
6. Kentucky (15-1, SEC)
7. Vanderbilt (15-0, SEC)
8. Maryland (15-1, Big Ten)
9. Michigan (12-2, Big Ten)
10. Louisville (14-3, ACC)
11. Iowa State (14-1, Big 12)
12. LSU (14-2, SEC)
13. TCU (14-1, Big 12)
14. Iowa (13-2, Big Ten)
15. Michigan State (14-1, Big Ten)
16. Baylor (13-3, Big 12)
17. Texas Tech (16-0, Big 12)
18. Ole Miss (14-3, SEC)
19. Ohio State (13-2, Big Ten)
20. Tennessee (10-3, SEC)
21. USC (10-4, Big Ten)
22. UNC (13-4, ACC)
23. Washington (12-2, Big Ten)
24. Princeton (13-1, Ivy)
25. Nebraska (13-2, Big Ten)